57 



was the private property of the West Australian Entomologist, and was 

 locked ; and as that gentleman had the keys with him in America, they could 

 not be shown to me. 



On the following morning I presented my credentials to the Director of 

 Agriculture, Mr. Despessis, who talked over the question of parasites with 

 me, and stated that they had with introduced parasites destroyed the olive 

 scale (Lecanium olece) in the gardens around Perth, had destroyed the cabbage 

 aphis on the gold-fields, and were going to destroy the fruit-fly with the 

 Indian parasites. He as?ked me if I had seen the parasites in th^depart- 

 mental breeding cages, and then, when I asked him if he could show me any 

 bred or breeding in the orchards or gardens, said that it was the wrong time 

 of the year, and that there was nothing to be seen in the orchards. 



I then asked him, if I stopped another week in Perth, could he show me 

 anything more in regard to parasites in the orchards. He distinctly answered 

 that there was nothing more to show me, either in the office or orchard ; 

 whereupon I told him that I should leave for Adelaide next day, but w is 

 quite prepared to remain till the following Thursday if there was anything to 

 investigate. I make this statement carefully, for before I reached Adelaide 

 the West Australian representative of the Daily Telegraph of Sydney wired 

 across the statement, on the authority of the Director of Agriculture (Mr. 

 Despessis), that u he bad asked me to remain a week in Perth to investigate 

 the value of parasites, and I had point blank refused." 



Left Perth on the 18th of July, reaching Adelaide on the 23rd, and 

 Melbourne, by the overland express, on the 26th, and reported myself in 

 Sydney on the 29th, having been away one year and three weeks. 



